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KLRU-Q’s Saturday Night at the Movies presents a full-length feature film every Saturday night, plus extra content that gives the evening an exciting spin. Each film explores the work of legendary actors and actresses through many important films from their careers. Here is a peek of what this Saturday has in store:

8:00pm – Platoon
Two sergeants and a private join others lost in war along the 1967 Cambodian border. Cast: Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen.

10:00pm – Vietnam War Stories
Three million Americans served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Most veterans are reluctant to speak of war experiences, but Vietnam veterans have been even more reluctant because of the controversy surrounding their war and the often hostile reception on their return. They put away their uniforms and tried to put away their memories, but these are memories that cannot be put away. “Vietnam War Stories” shares these personal memories of service and sacrifice, and gives us insight into the experience of war.

KLRU-Q’s Saturday Night at the Movies presents a full-length feature film every Saturday night, plus extra content that gives the evening an exciting spin. Each film explores the work of legendary actors and actresses through many important films from their careers. Here is a peek of what this Saturday has in store:

8:00pm – No Way Out
The secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman) forces a Pentagon naval aide (Kevin Costner) to lead a manhunt for a Soviet spy during a murder cover-up. Cast: Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young.

10:00pm – Rockin’ The Wall
This program presents the history of the Berlin Wall through the experiences of well-know rock musicians and those who lived behind the wall. Among the rock musicians featured are Robby Krieger (The Doors), Mark Stein and Vinny Martell (Vanilla Fudge), Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot), David Paich (Toto), Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets), and the group Mother’s Finest who played in East Berlin just weeks before the Wall fell.

11:00pm – How The Beatles Rocked the Kremlin
This is the unknown story of how the Beatles inspired a revolution that helped to destroy the communist system. Leslie Woodhead first met the Beatles in 1962 when he worked on a film in the Liverpool Cavern Club before the world had heard of the Fab Four. Twenty-five years later, when Woodhead began to make films in the Soviet Union, he became aware of how the Beatles legend had soaked into the lives of a generation of Soviet kids — even though they were barred from playing “Back in the USSR.” Now he has been on a journey to meet the Soviet Beatles generation and to discover how the Fab Four changed their lives. Featuring a bizarre collection of Beatles tribute bands, the film tracks down the stories of how the Cold War was won with music as much as with nuclear missiles.

The Mediterranean Sea may be a beautiful tourist destination today, but in the 16th Century it was the central arena for a mighty power struggle between Christian Europe and the formidable Muslim Ottoman Empire. It was a conflict not just for power and wealth but for cultural and religious supremacy that lasted nearly three centuries, and its outcome resonates to this day. In Ottomans Versus Christians: Battle for the Mediterranean, host Julian Davis leads us on a swashbuckling adventure to some of the most extraordinary destinations in the Mediterranean. Tune in to KLRU-Q at 8pm Thursdays throughout the month of January.

1/17 – Empire Builders
In part one, Julian Davison begins his journey in Istanbul, the gateway between East and West and former epicenter of the Eastern Christian Empire of Byzantium. He charts the rise of the Ottomans and their momentous conquest of Constantinople, which they transform into the capitol of their empire, Istanbul. Exploring the city, Julian reveals the inner workings of the Ottoman system, the secrets of its invincible army, and the intrigues and power games of its Sultans’ private world – inside the harem of the imperial Topkopi palace. Here we examine the ascendancy of perhaps the most celebrated Ottoman Sultan of them all, Sulieman the Magnificent. Tracing Sulieman’s campaign of expansion, Julian sets sail for the legendary island of Rhodes, a former stronghold of the infamous Christian Crusader Knights of St. John – the scourge of the Ottoman Empire. While on Rhodes, Julian explores the beautifully preserved old city and learns what it meant to be a Knight’s Hospitaller. He delves into the military tactics of the day and discovers how they shaped the outcome of a gruesome siege that pitted the Knights against the full might of the Ottoman military machine. To conclude the episode Davison returns to Istanbul to follow the rise of the Ottoman Navy and explore the formidable relationship forged between Sulieman and one of the most notorious Pirates that ever roamed the seas, Barbarossa. Together they would terrorize the coastlines of Southern Europe and strike fear in the hearts of Christians.

1/24 – Masters of the Mediterranean
In part two, Julian Davison travels to the site of one of the most extraordinary sieges in European history, the island of Malta. The pride of the Christian Crusader Order of the Knights of St. John, Malta stands today like a baroque jewel, but in the 16th century it was the object of desire for Ottoman Sultan Sulieman the Magnificent and he was prepared to risk all to possess it. Here, Julian enlists in a local re-enactment group and tries his hand at the weapons of the day before dissecting a siege that would become one of the Ottomans’ most shocking defeats. Davison then brings us northward to the commercial superpower of the time, the resplendent kingdom on water, Venice. Here he participates in the time honored pageant, La Sensa, a symbolic marriage between Venice and the Sea before revealing how this tiny island Republic grew into one of the richest and most formidable sea powers in the world. Discover how Venice managed a complex love/hate relationship with the Ottoman Empire that exploded into an all-out war for control of the Mediterranean involving the Pope and much of Christian Europe. Davison then heads to the former Venetian stronghold, Cyprus. Part Turkish, part Greek, Cyprus continues to be one of the most contested islands in the whole Mediterranean and the roots of its struggle can be traced to the bloody battles waged here in the 16th century. Julian begins his exploration in the Turkish occupied North where he follows the trail of the Ottoman Army’s relentless campaign for control of the island in 1571. The bloodiest and most decisive battle for Cyprus was yet to come.

1/31 – Clash of Civilizations
Part three begins in the legendary city of Famagusta on the island of Cyprus. Once the wealthiest city on earth, Famagusta was the jewel in the Venetian crown when Ottoman armies surrounded it in 1571. Julian Davison takes us on a tour of the city’s magnificent gothic cathedrals and intimidating fortress, detailing the gory battles and fabled acts of heroism that took place here during the Ottoman conquest of the city. The battle for Famagusta became famous for an act of such extraordinary cruelty, the torture and death of Venetian Commander Marc Antonio Bragadin, that it propelled Christian Europe into unified action against the Ottomans. Julian returns to Venice and its ancient ship building complex, the Arsenal, to reveal the city’s secret plan for revenge; a plan that would be put to the test in one of the bloodiest maritime conflicts in history, the legendary Battle of Lepanto. Travelling across the Adriatic Sea to the town of Lepanto, today Nafpaktos in Greece, Julian and historian Roger Crowley visit the very waters where this pivotal battle is believed to have taken place and marvel at the apocalyptic scale of a clash that would become one of the most iconic Christian victories of the era. On the final leg of his journey, Julian makes his way back to Istanbul via Crete to chronicle the slow and decadent decline of the Ottoman Empire and contemplate the legacy of a struggle so deeply embedded in our culture and history that it continues to inform the world we live in today.

7:00pm – Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency
To commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday back in 2009, this documentary immerses viewers in a critical, but often overlooked, time in the stateman’s life. LINCOLN: PRELUDE TO THE PRESIDENCY pieces together a critical 23-year period (1837-1860) through interviews with noted historians, researchers and experts, and re-enactments filmed at historic sites in central Illinois. Prominent scholars Doris Kearns Goodwin and Orville Vernon Burton (The Age of Lincoln) describe how Lincoln’s formative experiences as a young lawyer on Illinois’ Eighth Judicial Circuit informed his views on the issues he would eventually face as president, including several cases involving slavery.

8:00pm – Looking for Lincoln, Part I 9:00pm – Looking for Lincoln, Part II
February 2009 marked the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. This series, endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, features historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Henry Louis Gates Jr. in an exploration of how Abraham Lincoln the man was transformed into Abraham Lincoln the legend. The documentary tells Lincoln’s story as it was shaped by our nation in the years immediately following his death.

10:00pm – Heart of the Civil War
Recounting critical battles of the Civil War, The Heart of the Civil War tells stories from some of the most fought-over U.S. territory during the War Between the States. Between 1861 and 1865, Confederate and Union forces clashed again and again for control of strategic points throughout three counties in west-central Maryland – as the war marched north-to-south from the confederacy to the union, and back again. The Heart of the Civil War recounts the war’s far-reaching impact on the lives of ordinary but battle-weary Marylanders caught up in now-famous local battles, the conflicted struggles of believers in the confederate cause living on Union soil, and the turbulent, unpredictable politics of war that ultimately helped to preserve the Union.

KLRU-Q’s Saturday Night at the Movies presents a full-length feature film every Saturday night, plus extra content that gives the evening an exciting spin. Each film explores the work of legendary actors and actresses through many important films from their careers. Here is a peek of what this Saturday has in store:

8:00pm – A Walk in the Clouds
A married chocolate salesman (Keanu Reeves) agrees to pose for a day as the new husband of a pregnant vineyard heiress (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) in postwar California. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Anthony Quinn.

9:45pm – Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place
In the 1960s a new breed of pioneers began arriving in Oregon’s Willamette Valley determined to grow Vitis vinifera, the fine wine grapes of Europe. They were told it couldn’t be done and were amply warned that western Oregon was too cold and wet for vinifera to flourish. But they came anyway with a dream of producing premium wines – in particular, Pino Noir – made from the delicate red grape of Burgundy, France. The pioneers’ risky experiment created a new industry in Oregon and changed the world of wine forever.

10:45pm – Chesapeake Wine Country
Few phrases have quite as much allure for the would-be traveler as “Wine Country”. Two words which summon up images of sunny vineyards, cavernous barrel rooms, informal yet artful hospitality, and above all select hand-crafted wines waiting to be tasted. Above all, Wine Country is a place filled with the mystique of the grape and the wonderful alchemy that changes fruit into something approaching art. For the thirsty traveler in Maryland, every point of the compass leads to Wine Country. It’s there in the Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland, the Central Counties and in Western Maryland. Clusters of wineries straddle wine trails, laid out so that a wine tourist can drive the entire circuit in an easy relaxing day. The wines of Maryland await discovery. And the hard working wine makers and grape growers of the Free State are eager to share with you the romance of visiting Wine Country.

Ring in the New Year with great music on KLRU Q. First, we feature a documentary about one man’s quest to reunite the Kinks. Next is a mini-marathon of Hardly Sound complete with a countdown at midnight!

8:55pm – Do It Again
Geoff Edgers, a Boston Globe reporter dreading the approach of his 40th birthday, is on an unlikely quest: to reunite the surviving members of the Kinks, the long dormant British Invasion group of the 1960s who rose to the top of the rock world with hits such as “You Really Got Me,” “Lola” and “Come Dancing.” There are just two small problems: Edgars has absolutely no connection to the Kinks, aside from a passionate love for their music, and there is a long-standing feud between band members and brothers Ray and Dave Davies, who haven’t spoken to each other in years. DO IT AGAIN follows Edgers from Boston to California, and from Las Vegas to New York City. By the time he reaches London, he’s ready to confront his heroes. But are they ready for him?

9:59pm – Hardly Sound: The Bye and Bye
Follow Austin, Texas twang wave band, The Bye and Bye in their quest to understand their future through the telling of their past.

10:25pm – Hardly Sound: Bad Lovers
Dive into the world of the Austin, Texas garage rock scene with “The Bad Lovers” and all their rock ‘n’ roll cohorts as they talk about their adventurous past, hopeful future, and the sometimes tenuous friendships that they’ve formed over the years.

10:51pm – Hardly Sound: Royal Forest
Take to the skies with psychedelic rock band Royal Forest as they lead the Hardly Sound team on an epic adventure through the desert, in a submarine, and up in the air. It all culminates with the band recording a song in a tiny Cessna flying over north Austin. Royal Forest will inspire you with their spirit of adventure.

11:20pm – Hardly Sound: Emcee Eats
Join Vincent Martinez – one of the most stunningly original artists in Austin – as he lives his self-proclaimed “Jazz Life.” Then marvel at his undeniable hooks and poetic, personal lyrics as he steps into the studio as Emcee Eats.

just before Midnight —Hardly Sound producers countdown to the new year

Secrets of the Dead “Blackbeard’s Lost Ship” at 8 pm
Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, was the most notorious pirate of his day. At the height of his rein, he commanded a fleet of four ships and a crew of 400 men. They were ruthless seafaring raiders who terrorizing vessels in American waters. In 1717, Blackbeard even blockaded the city of Charleston, crippling its economy. Eventually he was caught and beheaded by a posse from the Royal Navy. Now, 300 years later, a marine archaeology team believes they have found his sunken flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, off the North Carolina coast. The remains of the shipwreck are helping solve the most enduring mystery surrounding the infamous pirate captain – did he accidentally run his ship aground, or was it a deliberate plot to betray his crew and cheat them out of their share of the plunder?

In Search of Myths and Heroes “Jason & the Golden Fleece” at 9 pm
The Greeks have given the world its greatest body of myths, including the myth of Jason, an epic tale of the hero’s quest and the ancestor of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Jason is presented with a “mission impossible”: to sail into the unknown to find the Golden Fleece. He is saved by the priestess Medea and her magical arts, but her love comes at a high price. A fairy tale? Or was there a real voyage? Wood heads from Greece to the wild mountains of the Caucasus to find the truth behind the Jason legend.

In Search of Myths and Heroes “Arthur: The Once & Future King” at 9 pmIn the second segment, Wood explores the greatest British myth: the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Traveling around the Celtic world from Cornwall to Wales, Brittany, Ireland and Scotland, Wood uncovers the extraordinary story of how a shadowy Welsh freedom fighter – a Dark Age Che Guevara – became a medieval superman and, finally, the model of a Christian hero. On the way, viewers discover the real stories behind the Round Table, Excalibur and the Holy Grail itself: the unattainable, mystical cup of Christ, which has inspired poets, novelists and filmmakers from the Middle Ages right down to Indiana Jones, Monty Python and The Da Vinci Code. In an intriguing piece of historical detective work, Wood offers a tantalizing glimpse of a historical Arthur – but in the unlikeliest of places.

Hardly Sound
Airs at 10:30 pm Tuesdays on KLRU starting Jan 1, 2013;
Airs first Monday of the month on KLRU Q music block at 11 pm
or watch online anytime at klru.org

Here in Austin, music is everywhere: in our airport, in our restaurants, behind grocery stores, and even on the 6th floor of office buildings. Given the sheer supply of choices, one would imagine it to be a daunting task to really penetrate the local musical territory and make it big. However the thriving bond between creativity and music keeps people going at it here, which in itself is the essence of why Austin continually rules.

When local filmmakers Chris Kim and Randy Reynolds set out to find bands whose passion and creativity distinguish them within the overarching Texas music scene, their task evolved into an all-out adventure revealing some great insights behind this creative community. They’ve condensed their journeys into half-hour long segments for a new documentary series called Hardly Sound.

The show profiles one artist per episode and conveys their respective stories through conversation and performance, detailed in footage spanning the full month they spent with each artist. What I enjoy most about this program is that rather than simply offering a dry profile of the band, the filmmakers establish an emotional connection between the audience and their subject through the intimate dialogue about their creative process. This stands closely to the filmmakers’ mission to create “a creative series about creative people for creative people”.

Topics of past experiences, personal triumphs, emotional hardships and overcoming adversity make you feel what the musicians feel and give a true sense of what shaped their path towards adopting their creative lifestyles. Bands like twang-wave act The Bye and Bye detail important life lessons like “expect the unexpected”, “don’t wear shorts”, and “bask in the unlikelihood of life” while taking the filmmakers on a “birding” trip. Meanwhile, garage rockers The Bad Lovers express their sentiments for the community of outcasts who welcomed their eagerness to play rock n’ roll in sweaty basements and damp clubs. Through their POVs, these musicians come off as hopeful, devoted and relatable, as their rehearsals and reflections become transparent windows into their souls.

For anybody who’d enjoy an intimate look at bands trying to “carve out their own space in the crowded scene” (and we all know, its CROWDED), this is that plus more.

About the Reviewer: Kaitlyn Roche is a fourth-year student at the University of Texas at Austin and currently works in the Marketing department of KLRU. She has contributed to online and print publications such as A.V. Club, San Antonio Express-News and Verbicide Magazine.

6:05pm – 1955 World Series: Seven Days of Fall
This program about the 1955 Brooklyn Dodger/New York Yankee World Series is based upon the poem, entitled “1955″, by James T. Crawford. In unprecedented style, the presentation uniquely blends the normal documentary elements of archival film footage, still images, narration, player and fan interviews, period music, and recital of the poem to recount this timeless story 50 years later. It’s a program about dedication, teamwork, belief in one self and commitment to achievement against all odds; the story of the Brooklyn Dodger’s only World Championship after 65 years of futility, and of the team’s unique connection with the community that so closely identified with it. ’1955′ is more then a sports story, but a time capsule of a period in American history like no other. Or as, the documentary’s epilogue states: To believe was to achieve … back in 1955″.

7:00pm – Tupperware! American Experience
In the 1950s, American women discovered they could earn thousands — even millions — of dollars from bowls that burped. “Tupperware ladies” fanned out across the nation’s living rooms, selling efficiency and convenience to their friends and neighbors through home parties. Bowl by bowl, they built an empire that now spans the globe. This documentary, narrated by Kathy Bates, reveals the secret behind Tupperware’s success: the women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds who discovered they could move up in the world without leaving the house. “Tupperware!” charts the origins of the small plastics company that unpredictably became a cultural phenomenon.

8:00pm – Greetings from Forgotten Florida
This light-hearted one-hour documentary tells of Florida’s golden age of tourism in a wonderful, wacky, fun-loving way. It takes viewers to destinations in Florida where thousands of families from all over the United States traveled including Goofy Golf, Jungle Jane, Parrot Jungle, Florida’s oldest theme park, Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven and Marineland – the world’s first oceanarium. Before the arrival of mammoth theme parks like Disney World, Florida was a more whimsical place-with a different, perhaps quirky sense of make-believe that drew tourists back year after year. From the turn of the century through the 1970s, American families flocked by the thousands making the long journey south to visit Florida. Greetings from Forgotten Florida tells the wonderful (and sometimes strange) stories of the and entrepreneurs who created Florida’s classic destinations. Through remarkable archival footage and home movies, the film reveals that even though some of Florida’s tourist treasures are gone, they are definitely not forgotten. Drawing on the recollections of people who were part of Florida’s golden age of tourism we meet a Weeki Watchee mermaid from the 1950s; the original dolphin trainers from Marineland; and families who would leave the cold of a New England morning and drive through the night–to wake up to the smell of warm sea air and the taste of fresh orange juice squeezed from a roadside grove. Journey back to a time when tourists envisioned beautiful mermaids, dancing dolphins, glass-bottomed boats and coral castles in Greetings from Forgotten Florida. It’s a nostalgic excursion to a magical time and place for the whole family.

9:00pm – Leisurama
This program tells the story behind the sophisticated and creatively marketed housing communities built during the late 1950s and early ’60s in Montauk, NY and Lauderhill, Fla. Dubbed “Leisurama,” these new homes sold for as little as $12,995 and arrived completely furnished and stocked with every imaginable modern amenity. Macy’s exhibited a full-scale model of the house on the ninth floor of its flagship New York City store. Throughout this colorful documentary, architects, homeowners and historians explain the significance of the Leisurama homes. In recent years, a renewed interest in mid-century moderism and Cold War-era ephemera rekindled interest in the Leisurama house.

9:55pm – Program About Unusual Buildings & Other Roadside Stuff
Rick Sebak brings his trademark flair to a road trip in search of America’s most interesting, wacky and goofy buildings, celebrating places such as the Big Duck on Long Island, the National Fresh Water Fishing National Hall of Fame (in the shape of a giant fish) in Heyward, Wisconsin, and the world’s largest catsup bottle, built as a water tower in Collinsville, Illinois.

Starting at 6 pm Sunday, KLRU presents parts 4, 5, 6 of Downton Abbey, Series II back-to-back. The sereis depicts the lives of the noble Crawley family and the staff who serve them.

Actress Jane Seymour and baritone Nathan Gunn join the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas special featuring some of the season’s best-loved songs on Christmas With The Mormon Tabernacle Choir at 8 pm Monday. Followed by Christmas at the Belmont at 9 pm and Christmas at St. Olaf at 10 pm.

Breakfast Special 2: Revenge of the Omelets at 7 pm Tuesday visits breakfast spots from Norwalk, Connecticut to Hilo, Hawaii and samples some classic as well as some unusual dishes, talking to enthusiastic cooks, servers and eaters all along the way.

Nature at 7 pm Wednesday explores the thick forests, vast wetlands, and deep chasms that make up a wild, inaccessible place belonging more to myth than reality in “Wild Balkans”.

NOVA at 8 pm Wednesday attempts to answer the question: How did medieval builders reach such spectacular heights? Nova’s team of scientists reveals the hidden formulas, drawn from the pages of the Bible itself, that drove medieval builders ever upward on “Building The Great Cathedrals“.

NOVA at 9 pm Wednesday presents Quest for Solomon’s Mines, an investigation of the illuminated legend King Solomon that reveals the source of the great wealth that powered the first mighty Biblical kingdoms.

Actor Bob Balaban discusses his career on Overheard with Evan Smith at 7 pm Thursday.

Every year, some of Austin’s influential artists, architects and entrepreneurs travel south to Presidio County to honor the late artist, writer, cowboy sage and visionary, A. Kelly Pruitt. Arts In Context at 7:30 pm Thursday chronicles the event.

Learn all about Spain’s influence on David Chang’s career on The Mind of a Chef at 8 pm Thursday.

Chet races to the Texas Motor Speedway, explores Denton’s historic square and independent music culture on The Daytripper at 8:30 pm Thursday.

American Masters at 9 pm Friday presents “Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance”, the story of the first quintessentially American dance company whose founders pioneered a new dance philosophy by daringly combining modern and traditional techniques, art with social statement, and integrating pop and rock music scores.

The CTG team swaps perspectives, discoveries, and flops from 2012 and makes their resolutions for a new gardening year on Central Texas Gardener at noon Saturday.

Starting at 8 pm Saturday, the last three parts of Downton Abbey, Series II depict the lives of the noble Crawley family and the staff who serve them, set at their Edwardian country house in the early 20th century.